NAME

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

Crimson Fields is a tactical war game in the tradition of the popular
Battle Isle. Two players command a number of units on a map of
hexagons, trying to accomplish mission objectives ranging from
defending important locations to simply destroying all enemy forces.
Damaged units may be repaired or replaced by new recruits, while
victorious squadrons will improve their abilities so they will be even
more difficult to beat next time.
The game can be played against a human adversary in hot-seat mode, over
a network, or via e-mail, or against a computer player.
The level editor cfed(6) can be used to create your own levels.

OPTIONS

If called without options crimson will open its main window using the
settings from the last session or the defaults if no previous settings
exist.
--levellevel
Skip the level selection window and load the mission file level.
The file may be either a standard level file or a saved game. When
starting a new game this way you will be playing a single map
against the computer without any handicaps.
--widthw
Set screen width to w. Minimum screen width is 320. Default is 800.
--heighth
Set screen height to h. Minimum screen height is 240. Default is
600.
--fullscreen 1|0
Turn fullscreen mode on/off. The default is to start in windowed
mode.
--sound 1|0
Turn sound on/off. The default is on.
--help
Print a usage message on standard output and exit.
--version
Print version information on standard output and exit.
The display and sound options given to crimson on startup will be saved
to file and restored on the next program start.

GETTINGSTARTED

Introduction
The once peaceful planet Nexus has been invaded by beings calling
themselves the Empire of Kand who are determined to conquer Nexus or
destroy it completely. The public unrest has become violent as the
people attempt revolution against the invasion, but the Empire of Kand
are quick to silence opposition. Nexus is on the verge of war and its
people have formed factions to battle the Empire. As a member of one of
the major rebel factions, the Free Nexus Army, your goals are obvious:
to drive the intruders back to whichever part of the galaxy they came
from and restore peace on planet Nexus...
(This is the background story for most of the included missions and the
default campaign. There may be maps with entirely different settings.)
MainMenu
The main screen presents a number of widgets to configure the game. The
most important decision is whether you want to play a skirmish match, a
campaign, or load a saved game. Skirmishes are stand-alone maps while
campaigns consist of a number of maps which must be played (and won) in
sequence. Each map that you advance to during a campaign will also be
unlocked for skirmish matches. While campaigns can only be played
against the computer, skirmishes can additionally be played as hot-seat
matches (two players on one computer taking turns), e-mail matches (see
the section called “PLAY-BY-E-MAIL”), or over a network, and when
playing against the computer you get to choose which side you want to
play on. For both game types you can optionally define a handicap, to
make the game a bit easier or harder. What this means exactly depends
on the map being played but in most cases a handicapped player will
have fewer units or resources at his disposal than his opponent.
The large box on the left lists all available skirmishes, campaigns, or
saved games, while the box on the right displays a small image of the
selected map or, for campaigns, the story. For skirmishes, the number
in brackets shows the recommended number of players. Missions designed
for one player are often rather unbalanced if played against another
human since the computer plays so different from a human, although a
handicap can sometimes fix this.
After you have selected a map hit Start to enter the game.
FirstSteps
After starting the match you will be presented with the mission
briefing. Here you are given your orders and objectives to win the map.
As both players usually have different and conflicting goals, each
player gets his own briefing session at the beginning of his first
turn.
After the briefing you will be presented with the map. This is your
command center. From here you can issue most of the orders that will
determine the outcome of the mission. The first player commands the
yellow units while the second player or computer takes control of the
blue units.
The map consists of small regions of land (or water) each known as a
hex (sometimes also called field or square). Left-clicking on a hex
selects that hex and moves the cursor to it. If there is a unit on the
selected hex then a small bar will appear in the lower left of the
screen showing the rank of the unit, its type, and the squad size (see
the section called “Experience” for more information about ranks). If
there is instead a building or shop on the selected hex, the
information bar displays the name of the shop and possibly some icons
representing special attributes (see the section called “CRYSTALS” for
details). Shops may occupy several fields, but they only have a single
entrance, which is marked by the colour of the respective owner.
Buildings with a white entrance are neutral and not controlled by any
player.
A right-click on one of your units generally brings up a context menu
for that unit (this does not apply to enemy units). Here you can view
the unit stats, or inspect its contents (transporters only). Other
units like mine-sweepers may have special skills which also show up
here. If the unit is not a transporter and does not offer any special
skills, the menu is skipped and you are directly taken to the stats
display.
The stats window is basically divided in two parts. The top part shows
the unit name and its values for speed, armour, and effectiveness
against ground troops, aircraft, and ships in that order, from the top
left to the bottom right. Most units have a weapon range of 1, meaning
they can shoot at units one hex away (i.e. directly next to it). For
units with different settings, the actual range is given in brackets
after the weapon power. The second part of the window lists the most
important terrain types. Shaded terrain indicates that the unit cannot
cross that ground.
Right-clicking anywhere but on a unit or pressing F1 pops up the Game
menu where you can review your mission objectives, take a look at an
overview map, or save your game, for example.
You select one of your units by simply clicking on it. Large parts of
the map will now be shaded to indicate that the unit cannot move there.
Unshaded enemy units are potential targets. To move to an accessible
field or attack a foe, simply double-click the respective hex. If you
accidentally sent your unit to a hex you did not want it to go to,
right-clicking on the unit gives you the option of reverting the last
move, as long as it did not trigger any special events.
If you click twice on one of your shops or a neutral one, you enter
that building. Of course, you can also move units into shops, although
only some units (Infantry in the default set) can move into shops not
owned by you, and some buildings may not allow all unit types. Quite
often buildings are important mission objectives. Taking the enemy
headquarters, e.g., is a very common goal. But even if you do not
specifically need to control a certain shop for victory, it can still
be very helpful as it may be possible to repair or build units (see the
section called “CRYSTALS”).
When you have issued all orders, select End Turn from the Game menu.
Your commands are then executed, fights are resolved, and your opponent
gets his chance to strike back...

MOVEMENT

Each unit may only move once each turn, and only if it did not initiate
combat on the same turn. Artillery and Anti-AircraftGuns cannot
attack if they have already been moved on the same turn. To move around
on the map, a unit needs movement points. The number in the upper left
corner of the unit information dialog (which can be brought up for one
of your units by right-clicking it) indicates how many hexes the unit
can move under optimal circumstances. The actual range is determined by
several factors.
For ordinary ground units the terrain can greatly reduce the range of
action. The maximum can only ever be reached on roads, everything else
will slow the unit down, and mountains more so than forest. For
airborne units or ships, terrain is of no importance.
Enemy units can be trapped in order to prevent them from using superior
speed or to deny them access to certain areas of the map. A unit which
attempts to cross a hex between two hostile units or one hostile unit
and inaccessible terrain will be stopped immediately after passing
through.
A unit cannot leave a transport or building and enter another one on
the same turn. Enemy buildings can only be conquered by infantry units.

COMBAT

Results
Basically the probability to hit an enemy unit in combat is the same
for all unit types, although the attacker always gets a slight
advantage. This hit probability is then modified by effects such as
experience, distance to the target, terrain, or wedging (see below).
Similarly, each unit gets assigned a probability for evading an attack
which is then modified by experience, terrain effects and blocking. If
a unit scores a hit it will increase its attack pool by an amount equal
to its strength. A unit which successfully evades an attack will have
its defence pool grow by an amount equal to its defence or armour
value. Finally, each attack pool is compared to the enemy’s defence
pool, and the resulting ratio determines the casualties on both sides.
Terrain
Terrain is an important factor in combat as it can heavily influence a
unit’s effectiveness. For example, fighting on a road or open plains
will greatly increase attacking strength but offers relatively poor
defensive capabilities, whereas a unit in the mountains will profit
from the higher position in both attack and defence. Terrain modifiers
do not apply for aircraft.
Wedging
Friendly units can help increase the combat strength of an attacking
unit without attacking themselves. For each friendly unit which is
adjacent to and capable of shooting at the defender, the attacker will
get a 10 per cent bonus. If the unit is adjacent to the defender, but
cannot attack it the bonus is reduced to 5 per cent. A friendly unit in
the back of the defender will earn another 5 per cent bonus, or 10 if
it could also attack. It does not matter whether a wedging unit
actually attacks the defender. Wedging does not work for long-range
attacks.
Blocking
In a manner similar to wedging, defending units may improve their
position in combat. For each friendly unit adjacent to the attacker and
the defender, the defending unit will have its combat strength
increased by 10 per cent. Just like wedging, blocking does not help
against long-range attacks.
Experience
Veteran units are usually much stronger than newly assembled ones. If
you manage to wipe out an enemy unit your unit will receive three
experience points. If the enemy is only damaged you will still get one
point. Every three experience points a unit advances to a new rank
which improves its combat skills. Still, a seasoned infantry unit will
have a very hard time against a group of recently recruited heavy
tanks. Destroying mines does not earn any experience points.

CRYSTALS

Crystals represent the resources required to maintain and enlarge your
army. You need them to repair damaged units or build new ones.
Repairs
Units which have been damaged in combat can be repaired in any building
equipped for this purpose (a workshop). To check whether a building is
a workshop, click on it. For workshops a wrench icon will be displayed
in the small info bar that appears in the lower left of the screen, and
a repair button is available in the icon bar inside. Repairing will
restore a unit to its full strength and requires an amount of 5
crystals, no matter what kind of unit it is or how badly is was
damaged. Apart from the crystal cost the unit loses one experience
point for each rookie that fills up an empty slot.
The ability to repair damaged units is not necessarily limited to
shops. Some unit types may offer the same service (from the standard
unit set, for example, the AircraftCarriers can bring aircraft back
into shape). Repairs in units works exactly the same way as in
workshops, and you also need to supply the crystals to do so.
Production
To build new units you need some crystals and a factory (hammer icon).
The amount of crystals required depends on the type of unit you want to
build: A squad of light reconnaissance vehicles is cheaper than a group
of heavy attack choppers. Most factories can not produce all unit
types, even if you could afford it. If you click on the production
button inside a factory, you are shown the list of units which can be
built in this particular factory. Next to each unit type is the amount
of crystals that will be consumed. Newly built units can only move on
your next turn.
Mines
To replenish your supply of crystals you need mines. Mines are
buildings which ’produce’ a certain amount of crystals each turn. They
can not be identified from the outside. Many maps do not have any mines
at all, so it is always a good idea to consider carefully what you
spend your resources on. Crystals can be transferred from one building
to another (e.g. from a mine to a factory) using any transporter unit.

PLAY-BY-E-MAIL

If Crimson Fields is played in play-by-e-mail mode, the game will
automatically be saved whenever a player ends her turn. The resulting
save file can then be sent to your opponent using your favourite mail
client program.
On your first turn you will be asked for a password. You will be
prompted for this password at the beginning of each of your turns to
prevent your opponent from spying. Note, however, that the password
only offers very mild protection if you are playing against deliberate
cheaters. Choose your enemies carefully!